Do you put a comma before 'too' or 'either' at the end of a sentence? We used to, but language and how we use it changes over time, and the conventions we use to help us express meaning clearly eventually change in order to reflect this. Those of us involved in publishing need to update the way we do things when the style guides we follow change. Can't we make our own punctuation convention style? Can we make our own style for our book, and just punctuate and capitalise and use grammar in any way we feel works for us? No, we can't. Well, we can, but the book will be seen as poor quality, the author as an amateur hack, and no editor would put their name to such a book. The reason being that the conventions we follow are there to help readers understand what the author is saying. Make up your own conventions and - besides having your ignorance on display for the world - you run the risk of confusing readers. Good writing is writing that conveys the author's meaning clearly … [Read more...]
Kindle Unlimited Review: ‘The Secrets of Lost Stones’ by Melissa Payne
This Kindle Unlimited review is of 'The Secrets of Lost Stones' by Melissa Payne, a moving and engaging literary fiction book. It's described as 'A soul-stirring novel about the bonds between mother and child and the redemption that comes with facing the past and letting it go', and I agree that it's exactly that. It's just one of the great indie books that you can get on Kindle Unlimited. If you're a devourer of books like me, then KU is a good option. I find it hard to find Kindle Unlimited Reviews, however, which is why I'm reviewing books on Kindle Unlimited here. It's good to know that a book you're hearing about can be got as part of your subscription. Book description Thirty-two-year-old Jess Abbot has lost everything: her job, her apartment, and—most heart-wrenching—her eight-year-old son, Chance, to a tragic accident. Haunted by memories and grief, Jess packs what’s left and heads for the small mountain town of Pine Lake, where she takes a position as caregiver to an … [Read more...]
Am I the Best Editor for You?
I wrote a post about how to find the best editor for your book, and that still stands as a good guide, so I won't repeat it here. This post is just to show you the me I am now, because I look a bit different to when I last did a video introduction to myself and put it on the front page of this website. It's shorter than the old video, not even 2 minutes. What hasn't changed is my passion for my job. I love it, and you can be sure that if I agree to edit your book, I'll be passionate about making it the best it can be. Anyway, here's the little video. I did it so that potential clients could see and hear me - so they can see what a lovely person I am. (Smile!) https://youtu.be/-fsBOZqGItM What did you think of the video? Would you trust this person to edit your book? … [Read more...]
Literary Fiction Book Review: It All Comes Back to You’ by Beth Duke
Of this book Dan Brown said, "It All Comes Back to You is one of those stories you need to savor. You want to put the book down so as to have more to read tomorrow, but you can't. It becomes attached to you, a part of you."I agree with him. Alabama, 1947.War's over, cherry-print dresses, parking above the city lights, swing dancing.Beautiful, seventeen-year-old Violet lives in a perfect world.Everybody loves her.In 2012, she's still beautiful, charming, and surrounded by admirers. Listen to my video review, or read the subtitles. https://youtu.be/d4t1uoPCZ0c Buy Now Book Description Veronica "Ronni" Johnson, licensed practical nurse and aspiring writer, meets the captivating Violet in the assisted living facility where Violet requires no assistance, just lots of male attention. When she dies, she leaves Ronni a very generous bequest―only if Ronni completes a book about her life within one year. As she's drawn into the world of young Violet, Ronni is … [Read more...]
Writing Good Dialogue – Use Subtext
The most important thing for writing good dialogue is to make it sound natural, and reading it aloud is the way to find out if what you've written sounds natural or not. But really clever dialogue, dialogue that speaks far more than the words and that deepens the characters, uses subtext. This post follows on from 4 tips for writing dialogue. Subtext in dialogue People don’t actually say everything they think. In dialogue, less is often more, and is usually more realistic. If you want the reader to know what a character is feeling, you can write the character’s thoughts as thoughts, if you’re in their POV—they don’t have to express them to the other character. Of course, if you’re not in the POV of the character whose thoughts you want to communicate, then you don’t have the option of writing out their inner thoughts; but in either situation, you can use their expressions, actions and gestures to communicate how they ‘really’ feel about the conversation. I say ‘how … [Read more...]
Book Review: The Lake Never Tells, Alex Tully
The Lake Never Tells by Alex Tully is a young adult book that deals with universal themes. It's about two kids from different backgrounds. One is a reserved rich boy and the other is an outgoing girl from a caravan park, a trailer park, which is on the side of a beautiful lake - hence The Lake Never Tells. The people who live in the caravan park think those who live in the resort are stuck up, and those who live in the resort tend to look down on those who live in the trailer park. Normally people from different backgrounds like this wouldn’t meet, but in this instance they do. Add a murder mystery and other secrets and you have the makings of a great story. Watch the video for the full review. It has subtitles if you don't want to listen. And please subscribe to the channel. https://youtu.be/0QK4ZQtICgU The blurb Zoe has lived in Sunny Shores Trailer Park her whole life and she knows what the Memorial Day weekend brings—snobby rich kids who serve as a constant reminder … [Read more...]
Limited-edition, Collector’s Item NFT Ebooks Available Now
Journey to Diamond Peak, the limited-edition, digital collector's item NFT ebook of the complete 'Diamond Peak Series', is available for purchase now on the BooksGoSocial NFT marketplace for NFT ebooks which opens today. Only 25 copies of my NFT will be sold. It's among the first NFT special-edition books in the world. As an NFT, it marks a moment in digital art history and can be sold later for a profit. The data package for Journey to Diamond Peak includes the personal story behind the story and an explanation of the #Buddhist symbolism of this #visionaryfiction #contemporaryfantasy tale. This additional, never-before-published section is quite personal, which is why it will never be available in any other format and is in a limited release package. It and the section on symbolism will be of most interest to those who've read my book Fallout: Recovering from Abuse in Tibetan Buddhism. Other than that, this series marked the beginning of my journey (and my daughter Rose's journey) … [Read more...]
Contemporary Fiction Book Review: For all She Knows – Jamie Beck
https://www.instagram.com/tv/CP93-XmjIYN/ For All She Knows is contemporary literary fiction by Jamie Beck, a reliable author, who writes a lot of great books. This is the third in her Potomac Point series, and they're all very good books. The story’s about two friends, Grace and Mimi. They have different parenting styles with Mimi much more relaxed about things than Grace, but they’re great friends despite their quite different personalities. Their relationship is like sisters, and they don't think it could ever be broken. Mimi provides Grace with inspiration and the kind of flamboyant fun that Grace wouldn't have in her life otherwise, whereas Grace provides Mimi with a kind of stability she doesn't have in her own life. And they both have different kinds of relationships. Mimi is a solo mother, who doesn’t have a great relationship with the father of her child, and Grace has a solid marriage until her teenage son is badly injured. Mimi’s son has a … [Read more...]
Crime Noir Review: Shooting Messengers – Kevin Berry
An entertaining who done-it with a quirky sense of humour. If you're looking for a light read with a solid mystery that keeps you turning pages, characters with heart and even a touch of ethical questioning - around the role of the media - then you'll enjoy this. I especially recommend it for anyone who lives in NZ, especially if you know Christchurch, as I do, because Quake City is Christchurch after the earthquakes, and what's really delightful is how the author has renamed the street names and suburbs with words that suggest quaking or the damage done by the quakes - for instance Cashmere becomes Crashmere. This entertaining quirk gave me many laugh-out-loud moments. If you don't know Christchurch, you won't get the joke, but the place names still give an interesting quality to the setting, the sense that Quake City is falling apart and abandoned by the authorities, this all adds to the crime noir feel. As well as the fedora! Free on Kindle Unlimited I say more about it … [Read more...]
The Sorry Tale of Jason’s First Book
When we write our first book, we're driven by inspiration and enthusiasm. As this cartoon publishing video shows, it's easy to have stars in our eyes, dreaming that our book might just be the next big seller. But many first time authors know nothing or very little about the publishing industry, or even about writing, and that ignorance can lead to them rushing into signing up with the first publisher who shows an interest in their work. Making uninformed choices can not only cost them thousands of misspent dollars but also leave them terribly disappointed, their dreams shattered. It is indeed a sorry tale and, unfortunately, all too common. Jason's story does have a happy ending, however. https://youtu.be/Lk8yii2BC30 What's the moral of this cautionary tale? And why does it have a happy ending? … [Read more...]
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